Harrison wins first main-draw match, youngest since 2002 to do so

BETSY BLANEY

Published 7:00 pm, Sunday, April 13, 2008

Associated Press Writer

Fifteen-year-old Ryan Harrison beat Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-4, 6-3 in the U.S. Clay Court Championship on Monday to become the 10th player in the Open Era to win a main-draw match before his 16th birthday.

The Texan is also the youngest player to get a main-draw win on the ATP Tour since Rafael Nadal, the current No. 2 in the world, won his first tour match in Mallorca in 2002, and the third player this decade to do it before his 16th birthday.

Richard Gasquet of France was 15 when he won his first match in Monte Carlo in 2002.

Harrison, who will turn 16 on May 7, won 17 of 18 points during one stretch of the first set. He closed out the set on his first opportunity by breaking Cuevas' serve at 15. In the second set, he faced only one break point.

He broke the South American, who is ranked 95th in the world, in the fourth game of the final set and closed out the match on four straight points _ including an ace to open his service game. He yelled, "Yeah" and pumped his fists a few times while looking toward his family in the crowd.

"You always want to feel like you can win," Harrison told the crowd after the victory. "To go out and make it happen is another thing."

A short time later, he admitted he hasn't yet grasped the significance of his win.

"I'm pretty sure when I get alone by myself later, probably just laying around the hotel, it'll really kind of sink in what's happened," the teenager said. "Hopefully, I can keep it going."

Next up could be top-seeded James Blake, who plays wildcard entry Kei Nishikori of Japan in a first-round match scheduled for Wednesday night. Two months ago, Blake lost to Nishikori in three sets in the finals in Delray Beach, Fla.

Harrison, who grew up in Shreveport, La., and started playing when he was 2, is coached by his father, Pat Harrison, a pro in New Braunfels, Texas, who moved his family to the Lone Star State four years ago because of tennis. The younger Harrison is ranked No. 7 in the world in juniors.

He entered the match Monday ranked No. 1,277 in men's world rankings and was expected to improve that to about No. 704.

"It gives you a wake-up call that you can play that level," Harrison said. "Whenever you actually make something happen like that you feel like, 'I can do this.'"

In the first night match, sixth-seeded Dudi Sela of Israel took out American Robby Ginipri 7-6 (5), 6-2. Sela set up match point on a sharply angled crosscourt winner off his backhand and Ginipri netted a forehand on the next point to give the world's 60th-ranked player the win in the first matchup between the two.

Earlier Monday, American Donald Young beat Fernando Vincente of Spain, 6-3, 7-6 (5), to advance to the second round. Each player was broken four times in the second before Young closed out the tiebreaker. On the final point of the match, Vincente appeared to give up on a lob that was well within reach.